Okay, all you casual NBA fans, listen up! Now, you may have been paying attention to your favorite college football team or NFL team the past month, and you may have missed all the NBA action. So here's something to get you caught up...
The STRONGER Rankings
1. San Antonio Spurs (17-3) - Down deep, I just can't bring myself to putting an Eastern Conference team first in the power rankings. I just can't. The Spurs are very, very good this year thanks in large part to the stellar play of Manu Ginobili (21 ppg). Tony Parker (21 pts, 7 ast) and Tim Duncan (18 pts, 9 reb) have also been key contributors to San Antonio's 17-3 start. But they better watch out for the Hornets, who are nipping at their heels at the top of the Southwest Division.
2. Phoenix Suns (16-5) - Amare is healthy again and he's averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds per contest. Steve Nash is playing just the way he always plays with 18 points and 12 assists per game. But you can't forget one of the main reasons Phoenix is so good: Shawn Marion (16 pts, 11 reb). Also worthy of mentioning is Grant Hill's (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and Leandro Barbosa's (18 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) play.
3. Orlando Magic (16-5) - Dwight Howard has been unstoppable to date and is a front runner for MVP. What was most impressive was how he shut down Kevin Garnett when the Magic defeated the Celtics not too long ago. Why are they higher than Boston? The beat the Celtics and all of their losses were to quality opponents. (#1 San Antonio and #2 Phoenix to name a few.) I mentioned Howard (24 pts, 15 reb), yet you can't dismiss what Rashard Lewis (19 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), Hedo Turkoglu (18 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast), and Jameer Nelson (13 pts, 6 ast, 5 reb) are doing out on the court.
4. Boston Celtics (17-2) - Okay, all you Boston Blowhards can just calm down. The Celtics are 17-2 in one of, if not the, weakest divisions in all of basketball. The Big Three are no surprise. Each are averaging great numbers and are doing their part. What is surprising are the role players. Rajon Rondo (9 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb), Eddie House (8 pts, 45% from deep), and Kendrick Perkins (7 pts, 5 reb) have all helped Boston to their great start. Their Achilles' heel? Injuries. Can the older guys on the team hold up for the entire season?
5. New Orleans Hornets (14-7) - If N.O. didn't have Chris Paul they would be doomed, most likely. Paul, who's averaging 21 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals per game, is leading his troops like never before. It's quite impressive that they're playing this well in the rugged Southwest Division, too. David West has popped out of nowhere with his 18 points and 9 rebounds per contest. Peja Stojakovic (14 pts, 3 reb) and Tyson Chandler (12 pts, 11 reb) have also greatly aided the Hornets.
MVPs- 20 Games In
1. Dwight Howard - Maybe I mentioned his 24 points and 15 rebounds a game before? Oh well, I said it again. This guy is playing great right now. Against fellow USA teammate Amare Stoudemire, Dwight had 30 points, 23 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a loss to the Suns. I rest my case.
2. LeBron James - LBJ is the ONLY active player with two games of 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists. Well, in the Cavs one-point loss to Orlando, he had 39 points, 14 assists, and 13 rebounds! James has scored 40+ points three times this year so far. But, lastly, LeBron is averaging 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in only his fourth year in the League.
3. Kevin Garnett - Once again, all you Boston natives probably think this is way too low for "your star". Tough luck. Yes, he's averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists but look what he did against a good big guy in Dwight Howard: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 7-13 on field goals. Not to mention he fouled out and didn't get to the free throw line once.
4. Allen Iverson - Guess what? AI is back. He's averaging 25 points per game and...[gasp] 8 assists to go with 3 rebounds per game. He has scored over 30 points four times this year including a 51-point effort against the Lakers. Iverson also has four double-doubles to date.
5. Steve Nash - How could I justify leaving him off? Not only is he averaging 18 points and 12 assists but also he's led his team to the #2 spot in my STRONGER Rankings. Nash is shooting 95% from the line and 46% from three-point land. Also note that he's shooting 52% from the field. In the last four games, he's dishing out 17 assists per contest.
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Showing posts with label Orlando Magic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando Magic. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Awards From Around The NBA
The "I-Can't-Believe-They-Actually-Have-A-Good-Record" Award:
This was a tie between two teams. The Orlando Magic (8-2) and the New Orleans Hornets (8-2) have been surprising people immensely this season. The Magic have faced formidable foes such as the Pistons, Suns, Cavs, and Nets. They've gone 2-2 in those games and have been led my MVP candidate Dwight Howard. He's averaging 22 points, 15 boards, and 2 blocks per contest. Rashard Lewis (21 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) and Jameer Nelson (13 pts, 7 ast, 4 reb) have also been key contributors in their, so far, great start. Moving on, the Hornets may be even more surprising based solely on the division they play in. The Southwest is the deepest and toughest division in the NBA hands down. No other division even compares. They've posted impressive wins over Denver and New Jersey while suffering loses to the Spurs and Trailblazers. N.O. is led by third-year point guard Chris Paul (20 pts, 11 ast, 3 stl). He's been the playmaker out there and his game is looking a lot like Steve Nash's right now, maybe even better. A healthy Peja Stojakovic has helped them a good amount but who would have thought David West would be their number one scoring option? I sure as hell didn't. He's averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds per game.
The "I-Can't-Believe-They-Actually-Have-A-Bad-Record" Award:
This one definitely goes to the Chicago Bulls. They're are 1-6 right now and look terrible. At least the Heat have an excuse for their horrendous record. The Bulls have nothing. Their opponents are outscoring them by an average of 10 points per game. Ben Gordon is the leading scoring with 19 ppg. They only have 4 guys putting up double-figures in the points column. Not one person is averaging 8 or more boards a night. They have 5 guys averaging two or more turnovers a game and are shooting 79% from the line. The Bulls look like they are in utter discombobulation out there. Skiles needs to bring some order to his team.
The "My-Team-Sucks-But-I-Dominate" Award:
And the winner is...Baron Davis! He's averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block per game but his team is 1-6 and in last place in the Pacific Division. They lost to Utah in the opener by 19 points. In that game, Baron scored 25 points, dished out 10 assists, had 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks! He was unstoppable yet the rest of his team was a disgrace and struggled in the 12 minutes he spent on the bench during the game.
The "We're-Always-Good-So-Don't-Expect-Otherwise" Award:
This one goes to the Phoenix Suns. They have a record of 7-2 and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. Steve Nash is averaging 19 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds. Shawn Marion is averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire is averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds. And, finally, Grant Hill is putting up 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest. Same-old, same-old, right?
The "I-Better-Get-My-MVP-Award-This-Year-Or-Else" Award:
Kobe Bryant. This guy has to be angry. He puts up great numbers every year but the media hates him so he never wins. This year he's averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading his team to a respectable record of 5-3. He's more well-rounded this year than in years past and is showing that he can help the Lakers contend with the Suns. They dominated Phoenix in their first meeting in which Kobe only scored 16 points BUT he did grab 11 rebounds, dish out 4 assists, and steal the ball 3 times. And you can't look past his 45 points against the Rockets in the opener.
The "I'm-The-Best-Rookie-No-Contest" Award:
This award was an easy pick. It goes to Kevin Durant of the Seattle soon-to-be OK City SuperSonics. Someone needs to tell him that he's not in Austin anymore. KD is averaging 20 points and 5 rebounds. During a period of three games he averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. No other rookie is really coming close to putting up those kind of numbers. Many of you may have heard of Stephen A. Smith, right? Well, Stephen A. compared Durant to a better version of George Gervin. This one really is no contest...for now.
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This was a tie between two teams. The Orlando Magic (8-2) and the New Orleans Hornets (8-2) have been surprising people immensely this season. The Magic have faced formidable foes such as the Pistons, Suns, Cavs, and Nets. They've gone 2-2 in those games and have been led my MVP candidate Dwight Howard. He's averaging 22 points, 15 boards, and 2 blocks per contest. Rashard Lewis (21 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) and Jameer Nelson (13 pts, 7 ast, 4 reb) have also been key contributors in their, so far, great start. Moving on, the Hornets may be even more surprising based solely on the division they play in. The Southwest is the deepest and toughest division in the NBA hands down. No other division even compares. They've posted impressive wins over Denver and New Jersey while suffering loses to the Spurs and Trailblazers. N.O. is led by third-year point guard Chris Paul (20 pts, 11 ast, 3 stl). He's been the playmaker out there and his game is looking a lot like Steve Nash's right now, maybe even better. A healthy Peja Stojakovic has helped them a good amount but who would have thought David West would be their number one scoring option? I sure as hell didn't. He's averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds per game.
The "I-Can't-Believe-They-Actually-Have-A-Bad-Record" Award:
This one definitely goes to the Chicago Bulls. They're are 1-6 right now and look terrible. At least the Heat have an excuse for their horrendous record. The Bulls have nothing. Their opponents are outscoring them by an average of 10 points per game. Ben Gordon is the leading scoring with 19 ppg. They only have 4 guys putting up double-figures in the points column. Not one person is averaging 8 or more boards a night. They have 5 guys averaging two or more turnovers a game and are shooting 79% from the line. The Bulls look like they are in utter discombobulation out there. Skiles needs to bring some order to his team.
The "My-Team-Sucks-But-I-Dominate" Award:
And the winner is...Baron Davis! He's averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block per game but his team is 1-6 and in last place in the Pacific Division. They lost to Utah in the opener by 19 points. In that game, Baron scored 25 points, dished out 10 assists, had 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks! He was unstoppable yet the rest of his team was a disgrace and struggled in the 12 minutes he spent on the bench during the game.
The "We're-Always-Good-So-Don't-Expect-Otherwise" Award:
This one goes to the Phoenix Suns. They have a record of 7-2 and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. Steve Nash is averaging 19 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds. Shawn Marion is averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire is averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds. And, finally, Grant Hill is putting up 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest. Same-old, same-old, right?
The "I-Better-Get-My-MVP-Award-This-Year-Or-Else" Award:
Kobe Bryant. This guy has to be angry. He puts up great numbers every year but the media hates him so he never wins. This year he's averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading his team to a respectable record of 5-3. He's more well-rounded this year than in years past and is showing that he can help the Lakers contend with the Suns. They dominated Phoenix in their first meeting in which Kobe only scored 16 points BUT he did grab 11 rebounds, dish out 4 assists, and steal the ball 3 times. And you can't look past his 45 points against the Rockets in the opener.
The "I'm-The-Best-Rookie-No-Contest" Award:
This award was an easy pick. It goes to Kevin Durant of the Seattle soon-to-be OK City SuperSonics. Someone needs to tell him that he's not in Austin anymore. KD is averaging 20 points and 5 rebounds. During a period of three games he averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. No other rookie is really coming close to putting up those kind of numbers. Many of you may have heard of Stephen A. Smith, right? Well, Stephen A. compared Durant to a better version of George Gervin. This one really is no contest...for now.
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